National Basketball Association

Risky Rider: Magic GM not afraid to take chances

Published Apr. 16, 2010 10:53 p.m. ET

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Otis Smith pulls back on the accelerator and the motorcycle roars. The wind pushes against his face, any stresses fading in the rearview mirror.

Nothing but the open road ahead.

Riding motorcycles is a hobby of the Orlando Magic's general manager, a ritual of sorts when big decisions await. Sure, it's dangerous. But Smith is a risk-taker.

That's the way he does his job.

With the second-seeded Magic beginning the playoffs Sunday against Charlotte, Smith's biggest basketball bet is about to be tested: Overhauling a team coming off an NBA finals appearance.

Cruising on his Harley Davidsons helped Smith decide to part ways in the offseaon with Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston - all starters during last year's run. He picked up Vince Carter in a deal with New Jersey and signed Jason Williams, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson along the way.

``Most of the time I think about these things on the bike,'' Smith said. ``The bike is probably the best place, for me, to clear your head. It's just you and the road and the bike. There's no phone, no BlackBerry, no nothing.''

Smith's rides come with a painful twist.

While soothing for the soul, they also remind him that every move can be costly. Smith was with friend Bruce Rossmeyer, one of the nation's largest Harley Davidson dealers and a longtime Magic fan, when Rossmeyer was killed last year.

Rossmeyer's fatal accident July 30 in Rock Springs, Wyo., happened while heading to an annual motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. Four riders - including Smith - passed a double-axle camper on the left. Then Rossmeyer attempted to pass and the camper turned left, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol report.

Rossmeyer collided with the driver-side door and was thrown under the vehicle, killing him, the report showed. Smith prefers not to discuss that day out of respect to Rossmeyer's family.

But the accident hasn't deterred him from riding.

``You can walk, and it's dangerous,'' Smith said. ``I've never been one to live life like you got to walk this way or else you can get hurt. I don't GM that way, either. There's a risk involved in everything that we do.''

Now flash back to draft day last year.

That mentality pushed Smith to trade for Carter, essentially reconstructing most of Orlando's roster. The aftershocks sent Turkoglu to Toronto and the rest of the blocks soon tumbled.

By the time training camp began, the Magic were in meet-in-greet mode before they even raised the Eastern Conference championship banner. Those were bold moves most general managers wouldn't make after enjoying such success.

Of course, Smith isn't the average GM.

``Otis, he's certainly never going to be complacent,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``But I also don't think he went into the offseason saying we're going to break up our roster and do all these things. You simply take the reality of the situations that occur and handle them in the best ways possible, and I think that's what he did at every step.''

All of 46, Smith has made plenty of questionable moves.

He signed Rashard Lewis to a $118 million, six-year contract in 2007. He hired Florida's Billy Donovan, who flip-flopped as coach and returned to the Gators days later. And he gave backup center Marcin Gortat a $34 million, five-year contract last summer.

A lot of money is on the books in the future, but it's hard to question his motives now. Orlando (59-23) finished with the NBA's second-best record behind Cleveland, has won three straight division titles and has All-Star center Dwight Howard signed through at least the 2011-12 season.

Throughout it all, Smith has kept his mellow-mannered ways.

``He's the perfect complement to Stan, because 'O' doesn't have much ego,'' said Magic president Bob Vander Weide, referring to Van Gundy's fiery coaching attitude. ``If he does, he hides it well.''

Players credit Smith for his hands-on approach. Smith usually travels with the team and rarely misses a practice, team function or family outing.

``But he gets on you now,'' point guard Jameer Nelson said. ``He's just on me all the time about leadership. You picked it up and you think you got it, and he says you can do more. Well, I'm going to try to do more.''

So it's no surprise Smith also lives aggressively outside the Magic's front office.

He understands the risks involved every time he buckles his helmet; motorcycle deaths increased for the 11th consecutive year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There were 5,290 deaths in 2008, the latest available data.

It was only about two years ago that Smith, a former NBA player, bought his first motorcycle. Now he owns two: a Harley Davidson Road King and a Road Glide.

He also recognizes the irony that his players aren't allowed to ride, unless they're prepared to lose a lot of money - or possibly default their contract - should an accident occur.

``Well, they can't. I don't play,'' Smith said, chuckling. ``And, yea, that's probably one of the reasons I didn't get a motorcycle for a while.

``I always liked motorcycles and never had a chance to get one because of playing. I had to figure out a time to get them to figure out if I was mature enough to get a motorcycle.''

Smith is now gearing up for his most nerve-racking ride of the year: the playoffs.

The Magic have the most dominating center in the game, and one of the deepest and most talented rosters. But they also have a major question mark with Carter, an eight-time All-Star who has never been past the second round, and their remolded roster is not playoff proven.

The postseason will likely have its bumps. There might be more decisions to make, and new paths to choose.

Maybe even a few motorcycle rides to help find the way.

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